—Thank you! Fou, please stay by my side forever, too! If you do, I'll never stop being happy!
The King watched them splash playfully, his eyes filled with amusement. This was exactly what he had intended. By laughing and talking with those they fought alongside, the distance between them vanished.
When bonds are nurtured, efficiency follows. Ea cherished the intangible, while Gilgamesh utilized the tangible results. Consequently, the King's foundations became even more unshakable. He hadn't introduced her just to show her off—though, admittedly, that was a large part of it. But a "Gorgeous" King never stops at just one objective.
Ea was now more motivated than ever to support and protect the Masters. It would make the escalating battles ahead much easier to manage. Her mood directly influenced the selection of his treasures and the precision of his fire. She was an asset that could not be neglected.
As a King, and as one who embodied the "Gorgeous" lifestyle, favoring and respecting Ea was purely logical. And, personal feelings aside, it was only natural to cherish one's greatest treasure. Thus, it was only right that the King's own expression softened whenever he saw her smile.
—Now, the renovations begin! Let's give it our all! There's no room for carelessness or pride!
Ea leaned in close to the King, huffing with determination as she stroked Fou.
—I-I see...! The spirit of always remaining 'Gorgeous' with room to spare!
(It's funny how he's technically right, yet I still want to laugh...) Fou thought.
—Yes! With pleasure!
(Yeah... I hope days like this continue forever...)
The original trio laughed together, their shadows overlapping in the steam, without a single worry to cloud their hearts.
IV. A Momentary Lapse
Haaah...
(Whoa! Are you okay, Ea?!)
—Hahi... h-huh? There's so many Fous and Gils... Ehehe, I'm so happy...
Ea, having let her excitement get the better of her, had gotten a bit lightheaded from the heat. A strange scene followed in the dressing room: the King of Heroes and the Beast of Calamity frantically fanning a dizzy soul with hand-fans.
(Hang in there!)
V. The Blueprint for the Future
Currently, the core of their future military strength was the Marduk. An ultra-dreadnought class ship capable of movement, combat, and acting as a mobile base. It was an indispensable element. They needed to ensure that operations conducted far from the home base of Chaldea were even more secure.
"Functionality for independent Rayshifting, simple equipment expansion, and overall spec upgrades... Is this the general plan?"
A recovered Ea manipulated the console, expanding various monitors. Gilgamesh looked them over, humming in thought.
He rose from his throne. Fou immediately hopped onto his shoulder, and Ea hurriedly began tidying up the holograms.
—From Olga Marie? I have no objections, but... Ea wondered if it was asking too much. Could she really respond to a blunt demand like "Do you have the tech for independent Rayshifting?"
VI. The Genius of the Director
"Independent Rayshifting? I have something similar, of course. Here."
She had it. Olga Marie accepted the request without a second thought and brought "something" from her office.
"The Paper Moon. It was a gift to celebrate the completion of SHEBA and TRISMEGISTUS. It's a 'Flat Moon' designed to dive into Imaginary Number Space. If you incorporate this into the Marduk, and combine it with our Rayshifting here, that battleship should be able to Rayshift anywhere."
Ea was stunned by her efficiency. Olga Marie... what a terrifying child!
"Hmph. Remarkably swift work. Had you already foreseen the next move?" Gilgamesh asked.
"Not exactly. But... Mr. Dandy, my mentor, and Lady Medea have all told me: 'We have the freedom to respond.' So, I spend my days assuming every possible scenario. Among them—"
Olga Marie looked out the window at the sky.
"—was the deduction that we might have to 'invade someone else's world from ours.' This should be useful for that. Chaldea is already yours, so I have no qualms about entrusting this to you. Please, make good use of it."
"Ideally, I'd like to win before the fight even starts," Olga Marie added with a bashful smile.
—She's a real-life... Siduri! Ea thought in awe.
(She's way too competent... What was the point of Goredolf again?) Fou mused.
The King was so satisfied with her prowess that he granted her a full day of vacation and the honor of an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet. Olga Marie, Mash, and Rikka went off to enjoy their reward and recharge their spirits.
VII. The "Uomo Universale" Upgrade
The next day, the King decided to solicit ideas for the renovations from the others. He had no complaints about the base specs, but for expansion, he wanted to hear different concepts. Gone was the image of the tyrant who ignored all opinions; in his "Gorgeous" style, he sought the best of the best.
"Definitely an Assault Type! The classic 'charge in and go wild' style! We drop in, wreck everything, and come back! An 'Aggressive Shogun' style charge-rig would be so cool!" Rikka shouted energetically.
"Hey, Master, stop moving! I'm doing your nails!" Jalter complained.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"